And more stories from the veteran journalist

Fashion illustration is far from a dying art. Though it may seem at times that it’s the street style stars, front row celebrities and Instagram sensations who tend to dominate the conversation around fashion week—aside from the looks on the runway, of course—there is a small tribe of illustrators who generate a buzz all their own.

Artists like Alex Kim, who counts Gigi Hadid as one of her 15,000 Instagram followers, Meagan Morrison, who has sketched everyone from Chiara Ferragni to Amy Schumer, and the anonymous Insta-artist Unskilled Worker, who’s caught the attention of Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, are all evidence of the world’s obsession with quirky fashion-inspired art.

But lets step back—way back.

1 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

Cover illustration for the November 1962 issue of Vogue UK

2 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

Sonam Kapoor

3 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

Pernia Qureshi

4 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

Front row at Chanel

5 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

Chanel

6 / 6

Image: Gladys Perint Palmer

John Galliano for Christian Dior

In the 1960s, it was illustrator Gladys Perint Palmer at the forefront of it all, paving the way for the technicolour renditions we see splashed across social media today.

A quick look at her resume is dizzying. Her work first emblazoned the cover of UK Vogue back in 1962. She’s sketched every major figure in the fashion industry, from Isabella Blow and Anna Wintour to Suzy Menkes. She’s rendered in paint, charcoal and ink looks sent down the runway at Oscar de la Renta, Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Elie Saab.

Vogue caught up with the renowned illustrator for a quick chat on her visit to Mumbai with the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, where she serves as vice president of Artistic Development.

You are both a writer and an artist. What comes more naturally to you, words or sketches?
I write very slowly but I draw very fast. I write and I re-write, but I draw and it’s finished. At the moment, my favourite thing is a Liquidex ink. I draw, not with a pen, but with a dropper, and my finger. I also work with the Paper53 app on the iPad a lot.

What’s the difference between working on paper vs the iPad?
It’s like having two friends, and they’re both different. I prefer working on paper but the amazing thing about the iPad is that you can work anywhere and nobody notices. It’s like wearing the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter.

There’s a great deal of humour and wit in your work. How much of your own personality seeps into them?
There’s no deliberate attempt really. But people say they recognise my drawings instantly so there must be something of me in them.

What’s your process when it comes to your work?
Picasso had a lovely saying: “I don’t look for things, they find me.” If you stand very still, the stories come to you. One time when I was doing London Fashion Week, there was a reception at Downing Street for Margaret Thatcher. All the journalists were there, but she didn’t give them much. And I thought, well I’m not going to join in. So I was standing by the window and this tall man came over to chat with me. He turned out to be her husband, and he’d had a bit too much to drink—he told me so many things! He gave me the best stories. So don’t rush after the story, wait for the story to come to you.

Tell us how the Sonam Kapoor illustration came about.
I was sitting at Elie Saab, in the second row, and she was just on the other side of the aisle, in the first row, sitting at an angle to me, so I could see her lovely profile. I had no idea who she was, if she was a princess or what, but I just had to do a drawing of her. She was just such a beautiful woman.

What’s the most challenging thing about doing illustrations?
Very, very pretty, boring faces, with no character. That’s a big challenge—to make it interesting. Everybody has something—a key characteristic—that stands out. When it’s just a pretty blonde, I don’t know where to start. I need character. There are some people I see, and think, oh I would just love to do a drawing of them.

Who are the people you’ve sketched multiple times?
Isabella Blow and Anna Piaggi.